One of the missions of the DPW&T is to help
reduce the frequency and severity of motor
vehicle crashes by improving the safety of
St. Mary’s County Roadways. To accomplish
this, improving the physical characteristics
of roads which affect safety; design and
engineering; lighting, maintenance, and
signage; safeguards for highway workers,
bicyclists and pedestrians; and protection
from roadside hazards are required. Hitting
a tree, utility pole, or bridge support
accounts for one out of four motor vehicle
deaths on U.S. roads, especially on
secondary roads. Authority is provided under
Section 109-2 of the St. Mary’s County Code.
Grading, tree removal, cut and fill
operations, improvements to sight distance,
lessening of ditch fore-slopes, utility pole
relocations, bridge approach treatment and
culvert extensions are just a few of the
activities performed in an effort to remove
roadside obstacles in high hazard locations
and to improve dangerous roadway conditions.
Sight distance improvements and removal of
roadside hazards are necessary to assure the
County’s roadways are safely and effectively
maintained. In March 1998, the Department
requested all school bus and emergency
response organizations (fire, rescue and
advanced life support) provide the
Department with a comprehensive listing of
potential safety related concerns along the
County’s roadways.

Potholes
and Sinkholes

Potholes: A pothole is a bowl-shaped hole
caused by localized disintegration of the
pavement surface. There are several
different ways that potholes form, but the
most common cause of potholes is due to
moisture seeping into small cracks in the
pavement. Moisture, most often rainwater,
sinks through small cracks in old or
weakened asphalt. The water is then soaked
up by the mixture of rock, gravel and sand
that supports the roadway. This is why
potholes can appear to develop overnight and
after periods of heavy rain. Overtime,
vehicles passing over the road force water
deeper through the soggy roadbed, eventually
eroding parts of it. As the roadbed
continues to erode the asphalt begins to
sink into the eroded portions and eventually
cracks under the continued impact of vehicle
tires. Other contributing factors in the
creation of potholes are high traffic
volumes, roadbed base failure, drainage
problems near or under the roadway,
petroleum products, such as diesel or
gasoline spilling on the asphalt, frost
boils, and utility failures.

Potholes
can also be caused by the continued
deterioration of another type of distress,
such as alligator cracking, raveling, poor
drainage, or a failed patch after pieces of
the original pavement surface have been
dislodged. Weak spots in the base or
sub-grade or the severity of the surrounding
distress accelerate potholes. Potholes are
considered a structural form of
deterioration. Potholes may also result from
winter weather patterns that consist of many
freeze-thaw cycles - They typically form
when moisture seeps into cracks in the
surface of a road and freezes, causing it to
expand. When the ice thaws that space is
left empty, and combined with frequent or
heavy traffic over the crack, causes the
asphalt to crack and fail.

Sinkholes

A sinkhole is a
hole that reaches past the base of the
roadway. Sinkholes are generally larger and
deeper than potholes. They are usually
caused by a source of water moving under the
pavement, such as a damaged / abandoned
storm sewer pipe, broken water lines,
underground springs or even a utility
conduit trench. The water causes the soil /
dirt below the base to wash away, creating a
void under the pavement, has washed away,
causing the upper surfaces of the pavement
to eventually give way and fall through.
Sinkholes appear suddenly and unannounced as
holes in our pavement, even though they are
caused by events, years in the making.
Sinkholes are generally repaired with
similar means and methods as potholes.
However, in most cases, sinkholes are more
intense to repair due to the fact the
sub-grade and sub-base materials must be
replaced prior to patching. When sinkholes
are big, they can be hazardous to drivers
and pedestrians.

The
Department of Public Works & Transportation
encourages the public to report significant
sink holes on County maintained roadways
immediately. This partnership with the
community is a great example of our
continuing efforts to improve our customer
service. You can also contact our Pothole
Hotline at (301) 863-8400.

Potholes
are created when water seeps into cracks in
the surface of the roadway and combined with
the vibration of tires over the cracks, or
freeze/thaw action causes the asphalt to
fail. That is why there are more potholes
after it rains or during the winter season.
Potholes are also created when the roadway
is stressed by trucks and buses, which can
cause a movement of the subsurface. Once
there is a weak spot, the section of road
will eventually fail. Highway maintenance
crews have hundreds of miles of roads to
inspect on a regular basis and patch holes
in the road surface as resources permit.
Potholes can be repaired to last for many
years if the causes of the initial problem
are corrected. Generally, repairs are done
in an expeditious manner to maintain a safe
roadway resulting in only a temporary
pothole repair. The goal is to repair all
reported potholes on County-maintained roads
promptly. Priority is given to potholes that
may affect drivers, the rest are on a first
come, first served basis. The Division
appreciates input from citizens giving the
exact location of a pothole, with a specific
address or intersection as it facilitates
the work request process. Pavement patching
work is typically performed at a unit price
of approximately $71 per ton.

Intersection Safety Improvement
Program (ISIP)

In July 2001
the Department began its implementation of
an Intersection Safety Improvement Program
which was supported through approval of the
fiscal year 1999 capital budget. The program
will systematically identify intersection
improvements that will improve and more
effectively handle vehicle-turning movements
during emergency and routine responses. This
may include the realignment of intersecting
roads, the paving of shoulders in the fillet
radii or reducing the roadside fore-slopes
to 3:1 slope or flatter which can be
accomplished under one of the pavement
overlay contracts.

Clear
Zones

The
term "clear zone" is used to describe the
relatively flat area immediately adjacent to
the travel-way and shoulder that should be
unobstructed. The recovery area should be
clear of all unyielding objects such as
trees, sign supports, utility poles, light
poles and any other fixed objects that might
severely damage an out-of-control vehicle.
The width of the clear zone is influenced by
the traffic volume, speed and embankment
slopes as specified in the AASHTO Roadside
Design Guide. For low speed rural collector
roads, a minimum clear zone of ten (10) feet
should be provided. For urban areas, a
minimum clear zone of 1.5 feet should be
provided behind the face of the curb. Those
areas unable to meet these guidelines may
require other forms of protection such as
the installation of guardrail. As a general
rule, utilities and landscaping should be
located outside the clear zone near the
right-of-way line.

Obstruction Removal Ordinance

In the Spring of 2002, the Board of
Commissioners adopted a new Comprehensive
Zoning Ordinance, which will permit the
Department of Permits and Inspection to
remedy and/or the DPW&T to legally encroach
upon private property to remove identified
roadway hazards. The purpose of the policy
is to correct safety related concerns on
negligent or non-responsive landowners.

Basketball
Hoops

The County views
portable basketball hoops as being similar
to portable street-hockey nets, skateboard
ramps, and other paraphernalia which are
sometimes placed within the right-of-way in
residential neighborhoods by the residents.
The County responds to complaints and
determines whether the encroachment on the
public right-of-way constitutes a danger to
public safety. We ascertain whether there
exists a hazard to vehicle or pedestrian
traffic, an obstruction to the free passage
of school buses, mail deliveries, street
sweeping or refuse collection equipment, an
obstruction to sight distance, or
constitutes an inconvenience to others. An
example of an inconvenience to others would
be where a portable hoop is placed so as to
block another person’s driveway or sidewalk
path. If placement of the hoop is determined
to be a hazard, the stand must be removed
from the right-of-way.

If the
basketball goal is not removed from the
right-of-way within thirty (30) days of
being notified by the County, it will be
confiscated. If confiscated, the item will
be retained at the County Highways
maintenance facility for a period of thirty
(30) days and may be claimed by the owner.
At the end of this period, if not claimed by
the property owner, who will be responsible
for any costs incurred, the basketball
hoop(s) will be discarded.

Storm Related Debris

Minor
and major storm events often result in
flooded conditions, fallen limbs or the
deposition of other debris along the
roadside. The debris must be removed from
with in the travel-ways and adjoining areas
to maintain the roads in a safe and passable
condition. During unusually severe storms
the Department also assists utility
companies and the State Highway
Administration in their efforts to restore
power and re-open roads to through traffic.
Storm debris is collected and brought to the
St. Andrews Landfill Facility for disposal
or processing into mulch.

A flood
prone roadway is defined as any public road that has a history of being
covered by enough water in a manner that the road surface, markings, and
edges are not visible to the operators of a motor vehicle, cyclists, or
pedestrians. Such conditions could be caused by stream/river flooding,
poor drainage along roadways, or normal surface runoff. Water on the
roadway could be both standing and moving, and could also leave debris
such as gravel, leaves, and sticks on the roadway. Duration of a flood
event can vary from minutes to days.

Suddenly changing water
depths, water currents, and road damage can make crossing a flooded
roadway very dangerous for both motor vehicles and pedestrians. Six
inches of swiftly moving water can knock people off their feet. Two feet
of water can float most cars and strong currents can easily push
vehicles into deeper water. It only takes a thin layer of water to cause
a moving vehicle to hydroplane. Rural areas are particularly vulnerable
because roads are lightly traveled and often not closed to traffic as
quickly as urban roadways during storm events. To help warn users of
public roadways, Flood Area signage and depth gauges (at low areas) are
installed in areas that have been known to be historically prone to
flooding.